Tag Archives: Photography/Art

Journey by Mokoro to an Island in the Okavango Delta

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After picking up a bushman in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana, that you can read about here, my G Adventures Overland Truck group left and drove 7 hours to the Island Safari Lodge in Maun.  It was basically a stop-over before we loaded our supplies and camping gear for a two-day trip to camp in the bush on an island in the Okavango Delta.  First, we loaded speedboats and traveled 45 minutes to an area with the Mokoros (dug-out canoes).  The supplies were then loaded onto the Mokoros and off we went.

It was like an African version of being on a Gondola in Venice!

An hour later we arrived to our camping spot, unloaded and set up our tents.  Bush camping is very basic – this was our toilet…

After working up a sweat, we went for a swim in the Delta.  The water is very clean and cold…the locals scoop it up and drink straight from the Delta!   The water lilies were gorgeous!

I took a short nap and then we went for an hour walk with the group and saw some hippos in the water!  The Okavango Delta was one of the highlights for most of our group!

Picking up Bushman in Botswana

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With almost two weeks of my 35 day African Overland Truck adventure behind me, we were on the road again for 9 hours driving from the capital of Namibia—Windhoek—on our way across the border into Botswana to visit the San Bushmen.  Upon arrival to Ghanzi, which is located on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, I decided to spend $5 to upgrade from my tent to a Bushman hut.  It had electric and a bed with warm blankets!  Oh…the things we take for granted!

After getting situated, I made my way to meet the group and to say hello to the indigenous San Bushman.  I had brought a wand with bubbles to blow for children along the 8,000 km overland truck journey, and when our translator saw it, he took me by the hand over to the small group with their children and let me start blowing bubbles.  No one took a photo of me with the bubbles…but here are some of the people.

At first I thought they had horrible body odor…but later found out that they rub a plant on themselves to ward off mosquitos!

Later, I wanted a photo with them.  One of the fun things I do when traveling is pick up men…

I’m not sure he was enjoying it though!

Later that evening, for $10, we were treated to traditional dancing by the fire.  There was a funny moment when the translator was giving us some history of a local tradition that is performed by girls when they start menstruating.  I thought he said that they have to dance naked in front of the elder men of the tribe and was asking him more questions trying to clarify it.  Everyone had a good laugh, but I still didn’t find out what really happens!

We all had a great time with the San Bushmen of Botswana!

Etosha Salt Pan, Namibia

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As I mentioned in my last post about Etosha National Park, that you can read about here, my G Adventures African Overland Truck group was driving through the Park towards the East side of the Park.  We made a stop at the Etosha Salt Pan.  The salt pan desert is roughly 130 km long and in places as wide as 50 km. The salt pan is usually dry, but fills with water briefly in the summer months, when it attracts pelicans and flamingos.

It seems like you’re on the moon…it’s so flat, desolate and stark!  Speaking of the moon, I took my first photo of the moon on this trip.  The Tour Director showed me how to set it on timer so there wouldn’t be any movement (I had it on a Gorillapod tripod).  Then I cropped it.  I’m quite proud of it!  I know it could be clearer, but my zoom lens isn’t very powerful.  I posted it on facebook as the “African Moon” and then someone (a smarty pants) said, “I didn’t know their moon was different from ours”!

An African sunset to finish the day!!

The Wild Side in Etosha National Park, Namibia, Africa

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Etosha National Park in Namibia is a great place to see a wide variety of African animals!  As we drove through the park on my G Adventures Overland Truck journey, we were excited to see many Zebra, Wildebeest, Elephant and … Continue reading →

Exploring the lovely town of Swakopmund, Namibia

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My second day in Swakopmund, Namibia started with a walk to the beach.

It was gorgeous!  The weather on the trip had been what I expected…40-50 degrees Fahrenheit at night, 80’s during the day and sunny!

I indulged in a decadent breakfast of cappuccino, homemade waffle, peaches and ice cream at an outdoor café.  I was transported to Europe!

After a little shopping…an inexpensive ring and a book, I experienced one of the best massages I’ve ever had.  She used hot stones  (which I’ve had before).  I dozed off…which I’ve never done during a massage.  Although I tipped her, she was most pleased with an inexpensive ring that I gave to her.

I made my way back to the hotel and had trail mix for lunch followed by a three-hour nap.  That evening I had dinner at Letty’s Oyster Bar at the end of the pier with two of the ladies on my tour.  The seafood was excellent!

They walked me back to my hotel, which was on the way to theirs.  I had asked the desk clerk the day before if it was safe to walk around by myself, because I noticed most places were gated and had barbed wire or electric fencing.  She advised me not to walk alone at night.

It was a lovely day and I enjoyed exploring the lovely town of Swakopmund!

Day Six of my 35 Day G Adventures African Overland Truck Experience

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After arriving in the beautiful town of Swakopmund in Namibia at 11am on day 6 of my 35 day G Adventures African Overland Truck experience, I took a taxi about 4 blocks to a separate hotel from the rest of the group.  Our accommodation for two evenings was to be in a dormitory style co-ed room with 7 of us (including some loud snorers), and there were no other single rooms available, so for $50 a night, I thought it was a great deal.  My room had a skylight and three beds.

After checking in, I went for a walk around the town.

I was surprised at how clean, upscale and new everything looked.  It was not overly crowded, but the few tourists I saw seemed to be mostly European.  Most of the shops had bars on the doors/windows and there was some barbed wire here and there.

I found a salon and had my artificial nails removed for the first time in years.  They weren’t holding up well with all of the camping.  That evening, I met the group for dinner at a restaurant called Napoletans and feasted on Greek pizza!

One of the positives of traveling in Africa by Overland Truck is the ability to see so many different places along the way!  This isn’t the Africa most Americans envision!

Deadvlei Salt Pan, Namibia, Africa

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On day 5 of my 35 day G Adventures African Overland Truck experience, that you can read about here, we hiked up Dune 45.  From there, we drove a short distance to the Deadvlei Salt Pan.  You’ve probably seen the National Geographic photos of the dead trees.   Initially, as I approached it, I wasn’t that impressed…

but once amidst the trees, I was energized and excited.  It is a photographer’s dream.  The contrasting colors of the burnt orange sand, biscuit cracked earth, dead brown trees and cobalt blue skies are so dramatic.

We drove to our campsite, which was at someone’s farm.  It is called Skaarswater Farm, which means scarce water.  It was a lovely site.

That evening we had steak, salad and bread cooked over the fire for dinner!  Visiting Dune 45 and Deadvlei Salt Pan in Namibia is amazing!!

Typical Day on an African Overland Truck Adventure

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My G Adventures Overland Truck group woke early (5:30am) on day 3. We had 45 minutes to go to the bathroom, wash up, dress, pack and take our tents down, before breakfast. So being organized is really important. We would typically be on the road by 7am. Many days we would make a sandwich at breakfast to take on the truck if we had a long driving day.

We drove 9 hours to the Namib desert. Every two hours we would stop for a bathroom break and sometimes, if we were in a town, we could pick up water, snacks and go the ATM. Bathroom breaks were usually on the side of the road…girls to the left, boys to the right…behind bushes, trees, tall grass, etc.

Later in the afternoon, before arriving to the desert, we stopped at Sescriem Canyon.

We camped here…

After setting up my tent and retrieving my suitcase, I would set out what I wanted to wear the next day, put my headlamp on, spray myself with Peaceful Sleep (mosquito repellant that works great and is half as expensive as deet), and place my medications, toiletries, etc. next to my sleeping bag.  We were split into groups for chores–cooking/washing dishes/stock coolbox/packing/clean-up campsite.  If I was on the cooking team, usually around 5:30pm it was time to help by chopping things up. The washing team duty was my least favorite job.

We would help each other remember to take our Malaria medication. Most people were taking Malarone.  The only common side effect that most people are having is odd dreams. Some of my dreams were that a man approached me and another girl on the trip and he was a bad man, so I bit his arm and tore some flesh off.  Another dream had me throwing spaghetti at my husband.  In one of my dreams, I had a baby and it could talk and told me I needed to take him to the hospital because he was going blind.

We would have a campfire every night. Some of us would have a drink or two, talk and then it was time to get ready for bed.  If you don’t mind taking a cold shower in the dark occasionally, bugs, and camping, then an African Overland Truck experience is the perfect way to see Africa!

Gariep River, S. Africa

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After driving 9 hours on Day one of my G Adventures Africa Overland Truck journey, we set up camp at  Gariep River (Orange River) on the border of S. Africa and Namibia.  It was already dark, so the next morning it was a treat to wake up to this view!

 

I would’ve shown you the campsite…but the wifi at Lake Malawi was very slow, so I can’t!  Maybe later!

This is the bar that we didn’t use since we only had a few hours that morning before we packed up our tents and drove on to cross the boarder into Namibia, towards our destination of Fish River Canyon.

Stellenbosch & Franschhoek Wine Tour in Cape Town

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My last day in Cape Town was spent taking a wine tour of three wineries located in the Stellenbosch & Franschhoek regions.  It was the only rainy day of my four days in Cape Town so I couldn’t complain!  I don’t remember the name of the first winery….but isn’t it beautiful?

There was a small group of about 11 of us on the tour.  We tried a variety of wines to include Pinotage, which is a red wine blend of Pinot Noir and Hermitage.  Chardonnay is my wine of choice, but I really enjoyed the Pinotage.  The South African Rand (their money) is around 7 Rand to $1 U.S.  Wine was quite affordable…usually around $5-$8 a bottle for a nice wine.

A break in the rain afforded this nice view of the area surrounding one of the wineries!

Cheers or “Gesondheid” — pronounced Ge-sund-hate in Africaans!

My camera has a drawing function…I was a little fidgety!

I know two of the wineries were called Rickety Bridges and Laborie.  They were all beautiful!

We stopped in the quaint town of Stellenbosch…

This piece of art was quite unique.  It seemed to be made out of a mixture of dirt, rock, straw and a few other substances.

I had a very nice day tasting wine, meeting new people, and seeing the landscape in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek!

Red Bus City Tour of Cape Town

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My four days in Cape Town were just enough time to do the four events I had hoped to see/do.

The first day I hiked up Table Mountain…which I wrote about here.  The second day I took an organized tour of the peninsula of Cape Town, which you can read about here and here.  The third day I took the Red Bus City Tour.  If I remember correctly, it was about $20, but you could hop on and off at different sites around the City.  Before boarding, I took a walk around the Waterfront area of Cape Town.

I only got off the bus once…at St. George’s Cathedral.  I love to take photos of churches and go inside.  This Cathedral is South Africa’s oldest.

There was a small park nearby and I took a few more photos before walking to the next stop.  I love to people watch!  It was fun watching these men taking photos of the pigeons.

I saw this young man and as I was preparing to take his photo, he glanced over at me.  After requesting to take his photo, he got a broad smile and shook his head yes.  I explained I’d prefer a side view…more of a pensive look, so he obliged me.

My fourth day was spent taking a winery tour…so I’ll see you there next!

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

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As part of my Cape Town Peninsula Tour, we stopped at the lovely Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.  We had a little less than an hour to tour it, so I broke away from the organized group and tried to cover as much ground as I could!  Although it was a cloudy and at times misty day, the gardens were gorgeous!

I highly recommend seeing the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens if time permits!  Next we’ll take a Red City Bus Tour!!

Cape Town Peninsula Tour

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While in Cape Town, S. Africa I went on a day tour of the peninsula of Cape Town.  It covered most of the sites to see while in town.

The weather was beautiful that day and the coastline is spectacular!

The above photo is of Boulder Beach.  There is a colony of penguins located there and I just had to take the following photo of a couple in love!

This range of mountains is called the Twelve Apostles.  There are more than  twelve…so there are a few theories as to why they’re called the Twelve Apostles.

It was quite windy at The Cape of Good Hope, which is the most southern tip on the west coast of Africa.

You can’t help but to fall in love with Cape Town!  It is gorgeous!!  I’d like to thank all of you for your kind comments and wish I had time to respond.  I’ll be writing a post to explain the strenuous time schedule.  I miss talking with you!